Now, this definitely is a classic case of not having your cake and be able to eat it too.
Women, like men, would always prefer a good-looking member of the opposite sex to live with – more like a trophy… a feather in their cap, if you will.
However, a recent study by researchers at Florida State University (FSU) revealed this is not exactly accurate.
Doctoral student and head researcher Tania Reynolds, and Asst. Professor of Psychology Andrea Meltzer found that women evaluated as less attractive were more motivated to diet and be thin if their husbands were attractive, said an article published online in the FSU News.
“The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive,” FSUN quoted Reynolds as saying.
The study said that extra motivation to diet and be attractively slim, however, did not exist among women judged to be more attractive than their husbands.
Moreover, men were found to have low motivation to look hot regardless of their wives’ attractiveness or their own.
The study examined 113 newlywed couples who agreed to be rated on their attractiveness, and were asked to answer various questions about dieting and getting fit.
The report said results showed that women who have attractive husbands are obsessed with losing weight to look attractive, which, they also said, makes them consequently insecure and sad.
On the other hand, those who have less attractive husbands didn’t feel any pressure to diet and get fit, which makes a woman happier in the relationship, the study said.
The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive, said Reynolds.
Reynolds advised handsome guys who feel that their looks make their other half unhappy to be “very reaffirming.”
“One way to help these women is for partners to be very reaffirming, reminding them, ‘You’re beautiful. I love you at any weight or body type,'” she said.
(Photo is for illustrative purposes only.)
